MORE FICKLE HILL

On the Fence

I am playing around with a hand-held image. I think I need to go back and use a tripod.

Sunset on Fickle Hill

Da Boys in the Glow

I took this a couple hours ago. These Friesians are big and beautiful.

NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Yosemite Unlike Ansel Adams

 

I took this photograph when I was a teenager. It was a color slide taken with a Kodak. The slide is covered with fungus and this is what I came up with today. This was after Hal sent me a photo he took of me (see below).

Last Sunday

MY LATEST WORK

Timeless, 2013

A print of this image is showing at the Redwood Art Association's 55th Fall Exhibition. It was awarded "Best Photograph". Gnarled (see my last posting) received a "Honorable Mention".

UNAUTHORIZED LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Gnarled

More than a week has gone by since I last made a post here. I guess I did not have much to share. I did print three nice prints yesterday, and framed all of them this morning.

This is one of them, and it is one of my entries for the RAA Fall Exhibit. 

MORE FOCUS STACKING

A Fifteen Image Composite of HDR and Focus Stacking

Perhaps this is still not totally successful. There are still out-of-focus areas in the pedals on the left. Otherwise, I think it does what I hoped to do.

ANOTHER MARVEL OF NATURE

An Amazing Flower

I suppose that all blossoms are amazing when you think about it. Perhaps I should say that this one is unique - perhaps too, all blossoms are unique. Maybe I should just shut up and allow the image  to speak for itself.

THE VALUE OF A GOOD CRITIQUE

Pecos Ruins as Critiqued at RCC

This image has been in my portfolio for six years. I showed this version at Redwood Camera Club this past Saturday. What I took from the critique was that it could stand some cropping of the foreground. Below are several variations.

Pecos Ruins Variation 01

In this version the subject is now off center, and nearly in the lower third quadrant. Perhaps I took it too far.

Pecos Ruins Variation 02

In this variation, I backed off of the crop to include more of the foreground foliage.

Pecos Ruins Variation 03

I suppose that I could go on and on. I do think the crop needs to place the subject into the corner. I would love some feedback.

THE WEB OF INTRIGUE

A Gossamer Porcelain Crown

I am really involved with pushing my limits in my artistic pursuits, and that involves my pushing my vision, and my craft to places that I have not ventured. More than ever, I realize that I do not have much time to squander, and that I must produce work while I am capable. I realize that this rule could apply to anyone and at any age, but more than ever before, I get it.

This image is mostly an exercise in processing. I am attempting to  create a composition that offers a statement, but I do not feel that I am there. Perhaps I will find it out of my ability to make a purse out of this sow's ear.

MORE ON THE SETTING SUN

The Setting Sun Over Manila, July 2013

I know that what I am about to assert is contrary to what many folks (photographers) think are proper photographic practices. My vision includes elements of interpretation. I believe that I as an artist have the right and obligation to interpret any image as I see fit.

Take the above image: It is a variant on what the camera recorded. It is close, but the intensity and color saturation is somewhat altered. Overall, this image depicts what was, to human eyes, a realistic version of Wednesday's sunset.

The Setting Sun Over Manila, July 2013

This image is close to being what the camera saw. It differs from what my eyes saw because of the intensity of the sunlight. I could not look directly at the sun and see much of anything else.

The Setting Sun Over Manila, July 2013

This image is created from the preceding photo. It was actually an attempt at a three-image HDR composite. Somehow Photoshop had problems tone mapping the three, and spat out this (albeit in a milder form). At first I was disappointed, but I soon started playing with it, and came up with this. I can claim that I used my newly created "how a fish out of water sees color filter".

So, am I as an artist entitled to create either by serendipity or design, a variant that depicts a possible foray into the unknown? I think the answer is obviously yes. But, am I as a photographer entitled to do so?

I think the conventional thought is that photography is not true art. It is a sub field of the general category of art. I think that photographers created this thinking. It is my observation that some serious photographers dwell on the journalistic values of the medium. The thinking is that a good photograph is a realistic rendering of the subject. This creates a generalization that photography is of value in recording events accurately, but that it is not useful as a creative outlet.

I think that because photography is everywhere all the time, and that practicably everyone considers themselves to be photographers, that the medium is not taken seriously. I think that this is especially true and applied to those artists that utilize post-production techniques such as Photoshop. I am concerned that occasionally some really innovative and cutting edge imagery will go unappreciated because of the stigma of the medium.

That said, I know that there is a lot of crap out there, but who am I to judge?

NUBRA VALLEY FROM DISKIT MONSTARY

The Nubra Valley and Diskit

Sometimes when I am reviewing older photographs like this one, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have experienced other  cultures and places. Nowadays, I am focused on localized places near home, but I know that I am much richer as a result from my journeys.

ASPECTS OF THE UNIVERSE

A Peek Inside the Universe's Scrap Pile

Every once in a while, I do ponder the "big" questions. These questions inspire me to look a little deeper into my subject matter. I must ask myself "what is there about any particular composition that causes me to wonder".

When I was growing up, I was handed the answers to all the questions about the creation and function of the universe. I realized that there is and can be, much more than meets the eye, and that there is much room for discovery.